NIA court sentences nine in Punjab drone arms smuggling case

Mohali (Punjab) [India], March 11 (ANI): NIA special court in Punjab's Mohali has sentenced nine individuals to imprisonment in a case linked to the drone-based smuggling of explosives and arms.
The case was connected to designated terrorists Gurmeet Singh alias Bagga and Ranjeet Singh alias Neeta, affiliated with the banned .
The court found the accused guilty under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Arms Act, and the Explosive Substances Act. The convicts include Akashdeep Singh, Balwant Singh, Balbir Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Maan Singh, Shubhdeep Singh, Sajanpreet Singh, Gurdev Singh, and Romandeep Singh.

Among the convicted, Akashdeep Singh, Balwant Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Balbir Singh, Maan Singh, and Gurdev Singh have been sentenced to life imprisonment along with a fine. Meanwhile, Shubhdeep Singh, Sajanpreet Singh, and Romandeep Singh have been awarded 10 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) along with a fine.
According to NIA investigations, the accused were involved in receiving and smuggling large quantities of arms, ammunition, explosives, communication devices, and counterfeit currency (FICN) that were dropped into India using drones.
The smuggled items were sent by Germany-based terrorist Bagga and Pakistan-based terrorist Neeta and were dropped at designated locations in Punjab's Tarn Taran district between August and September 2019.
The investigation revealed that the operation was part of a larger conspiracy to carry out terrorist attacks in Punjab, intending to instill fear, disrupt national security, and wage war against the Government of India. The sentencing marks a significant development in India's crackdown on cross-border terror-linked smuggling operations. (ANI)